Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • April 16, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 9 FOCUS Aquaponics firm, CREC bring indoor farming to CT schools Q&A talks to Spencer Curry, CEO and co-founder of Trifecta Ecosystems Inc., a Meriden- based aquaponics company. Q. Trifecta Ecosystems Inc. announced earlier this year a partnership with the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) to introduce the field of aqua- ponics to students in Connecticut schools. What is aquaponics and what does the partner- ship entail? A. Aquaponics is the growing of fish, plants and beneficial bacte- ria in one system. The fish waste provides an or- ganic food source for the bacteria, the bacteria converts that waste into nutrients for the plants, and the plants naturally filter the water for the fish by using those nutrients. Trifecta Ecosystems uses aquaponics to grow fresh, sustain- able food, and to provide education, therapy and skill-training to individu- als year-round in Connecticut. Our partnership with CREC is based on our mission to create the "City that Feeds Itself" by enhancing Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for schools, and increasing impactful learning opportunities for students and individuals of all ages. Within our partnership, we will be implementing our aquaponics systems — the aGrow and the aGarde — into even more schools across Connecticut, and will produce a NGSS-compliant curricu- lum to go with these systems. We will also be hosting an array of educational and professional development events for teachers and students. Q. The aquaponics systems will be rolled out and taught in conjunction with a Next Generation Science Standards cur- riculum. What is the NGSS curriculum? A. The NGSS are K-12 science content standards. Standards set the expecta- tions for what students should know and be able to do. The NGSS were developed by states to improve sci- ence education for all students. These standards give local educators the flexibility to design classroom learning experiences that stimulate students' interests in science and prepares them for college, careers and citizenship. Our NGSS curriculum is specifically designed to be used with our aqua- ponics systems, and gives students a hands-on, valuable experience with aquaponics. The curriculum shows stu- dents how to grow their own food and how this kind of sustainable farming can have a larger impact on their lives, community and local food system. Q. What does Trifecta Ecosystems get out of this partnership? A. As a Connecticut Benefit Corpora- tion, part of our mission is to strengthen the development of our communities using aquaponics. Using aquaponics to foster educational growth and inspire students to engage in the classroom is a big part of our social mission. Our collabora- tion with CREC provides us with a foundation to showcase the po- tential of aquapon- ics as a learning tool. CREC was also integral in helping us develop our curriculum to meet NGSS standards through their expertise in curriculum development. This partnership will also allow us to utilize CREC's sales chan- nels to make contacts and connections with other schools within the state and their network. Q. How big is the aquaponics indus- try in Connecticut? What's its future growth potential? A. The aquaponics industry in Con- necticut is currently fairly small. We are the only aquaponics technology company that is offering aquaponics systems and services to schools, adult resource cen- ters, and skill-training programs. There are, however, quite a few projects in the works that are pushing to expand aquaponics farming through- out Connecticut. We are working with a number of organizations on building their first large-scale, commercial aqua- ponics farms, and see a bright future for aquaponics in our state. There are many spaces, like ours in Meriden, that are empty, unused build- ings waiting for another chance at life and this form of indoor farming can be performed in myriad spaces, which al- lows for much faster and more efficient growth than traditional farming. Q. From a workforce development perspective, does Trifecta have a hard time finding qualified workers versed in a STEM background? A. As this industry grows both here in the state and around the country, finding highly qualified workers with a STEM background and a familiarity with aqua- ponics is definitely becoming increasing- ly difficult. It's one of the reasons we are motivated to introduce aquaponics as a learning tool in the classroom, to inspire kids to learn and provide a career path in a burgeoning industry. Spencer Curry CEO and Co- founder, Trifecta Ecosystems Inc. many colleges. That's because foreign students — who are not eligible for federal financial aid in the U.S. — of- ten pay a school's full sticker price compared to only about 12 percent of U.S. students at private colleg- es who did so last year, according to a survey from the National As- sociation of Col- lege & University Business Officers. At UHart, nearly 10 percent of the total student body — undergradu- ate and graduate — is comprised of international students. It's also part of Trinity College's rev- enue strategy. Perez says the growth of international students on campus has come slowly but steadily in recent years. However, given the cur- rent political landscape in the U.S., colleges and universities need to work harder to convince inter- national students to study here, he said. "We are los- ing students to Canada and the UK," Perez said. He fears his col- lege may also be losing students to the sticker shock of a $70,000-a- year education. But with $55 mil- lion in financial aid that the school disbursed last year alone, Perez says most Trin- ity students pay less than half the marketed cost. "We need to help our prospec- tive students understand how our financial aid process works a lot earlier," Perez said. But with less than 3 percent of its revenue from the federal gov- ernment and less than 0.3 percent from the state of Connecticut, he said the current model isn't sus- tainable. "We are expected to not only provide edu- cation, but we're also providing the resources [to fund that educa- tion]," he said. "That financial model doesn't work well." Like many col- leges nationwide, Perez says Trin- ity is exploring new revenue op- tions by making its campus facili- ties available for conferences and events during the mostly dormant summer months. Institutions will have to be creative, he says, in gener- ating new revenue. "It's not going to be one solution that saves higher education; it's go- ing to be a combination of things," Perez said. "These are complex issues, but higher education must survive; it's a public good." Higher-eds Growing Costs According to Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index, from Jan. 2006 to July 2016, the cost of college tuition and fees nationwide increased by 63 percent, compared to a 21 percent increase for all other consumer goods during that time span. University of Hartford President Gregory Woodward said his school is relying more on international students and online education for revenue. UHart students are increasingly taking online courses. PHOTO | HBJ FILE

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